Pai – Second Day: Renting a Motorbike for the First Time

02Aug
by Bounding Over Our Steps
Renting a Motorbike for the First Time in Pai
We began our day by sleeping in. We woke up periodically to hear the faint sound of monks chanting at the temple not far way, fish jumping out of the water in the pond out front and a variety of birds chirping and singing. We ate breakfast of toast with peanut butter, hash browns, tomatoes and as many fresh bananas just off the trees as we wanted:

We walked around the grounds of the inn and got a shot of our bungalow from across the pond:

We walked into town (about 2 miles away), got some lunch (not really worth mentioning) and decided to join the many tourists who rent motorbikes. This is our first time EVER trying to ride one of these and we’re not ashamed to admit that it took some practice. Mindy practiced alone at first:

…before she was ready to add a passenger on the back:

Like most travelers to Pai, we rented from the same company we used for the van ride there and back (Aya) and we sorry to have to say that we were not impressed with the quality of the bikes (our brakes didn’t work well) and the helmets were in such a state of disarray that we thought it was actually safer not to use them, as they were cracked, missing padding inside or the straps were broken so you couldn’t even fasten it. Once you sign that contract and hand over your passport for them to hold until you bring back the bike, there are no refunds. So if you want to wear a helmet, take a look at the bikes available and the helmets before you sign anything.

At night we found an Israeli restaurant and got some yummy falafels. Afterwards we walked around and discovered this temple. Since it looked like something was about to happen coupled with the fact that we knew today and tomorrow are holidays here, we decided to stay and observe the ceremony. The monks began a processional inside the gate and around the shrines, chanting all the while. Each shrine had a different day of the week on them. There is clearly a lot that we still have to learn about Thai Buddhism.

On the way home we bought gas at this machine. You put in some bills and a woman’s voice tells you to fill up (presumably since it was all in Thai) and when to stop pumping.

Stay tuned for what tomorrow will bring.
love,
Mindy and Ligeia :):)

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